Commercial Counsel, SaaS & AI‑Driven Legal Ops

Canto; Springfield (IL); Remote; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Canto is hiring its first in-house Commercial Counsel to lead the contracting function as the company scales its SaaS platform. You will own end-to-end commercial contracting, negotiate MSAs, DPAs, NDAs, and drive playbooks, CLM implementation, and cross-functional collaboration with Sales, Finance, and executive leadership.

In this builder role, you will establish systems from scratch, apply AI-enabled workflows, and shape privacy, data governance, and regulatory compliance across the US and

Qualifications

• 5–8 years of legal experience in SaaS or technology, in-house or a mix.
• Strong experience negotiating commercial SaaS agreements (MSAs, subscription agreements, DPAs, and NDAs).
• Working knowledge of GDPR, CCPA, and related privacy regulations.
• Ability to build processes from scratch and establish scalable legal infrastructure.
• Experience partnering with Sales and GTM teams in a high-velocity commercial environment.
• Clear interest in legal technology and AI-driven workflows.
• Hands-on experience with CLM systems and AI-enabled review/drafting tools.
• Prior experience as an early or first in-house legal hire.

Responsibilities

• Own negotiation and execution of commercial SaaS agreements — including MSAs, subscription agreements, DPAs, and NDAs.
• Lead end-to-end contracting operations and implement a CLM system with templates and workflows.
• Leverage AI-driven tools for contract review, risk flagging, and workflow automation.
• Partner with Security, Product, and executives on privacy, data governance, and AI regulations.
• Serve as primary legal advisor across commercial matters and manage outside counsel relationships across US and Europe.
• Handle disputes and pre-litigation matters and advise on compliance programs.
• Coordinate with Security during privacy events, ensuring obligations and governance.

Skills

In-house counsel

SaaS contract negotiation

Cross-functional collaboration

AI/Legal tech interest

Independent builder

CLM experience

Tools

CLM systems

AI-enabled tools

Job description

Canto is hiring its first in-house Commercial Counsel to lead the contracting function as the company scales its SaaS platform. You will own end-to-end commercial contracting, negotiate MSAs, DPAs, NDAs, and drive playbooks, CLM implementation, and cross-functional collaboration with Sales, Finance, and executive leadership.

In this builder role, you will establish systems from scratch, apply AI-enabled workflows, and shape privacy, data governance, and regulatory compliance across the US and